Feeding attachments for circular knitting machines



Jan. 30, 1962 c. H. WAINWRIGHT 3,018,646

FEEDING ATTACHMENTS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 29, 1,960

Jan. 30, 1962 c. H. WAINWRIGHT 3,018,645

FEEDING ATTACHMENTS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 29, 1960 Ilnited States Patent G 3,018,646 FEEDING ATTACHMENTS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Carlyle Herbert Wainwright, Leicester, England, assignor to The Bentley Engineering Company Limited, Leicester, England v 7 Filed Feb. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 11,639 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 28, 1959 8 Claims. (Cl. 66-140) This invention is for improvements in feeding attachments for circular knitting machines and has for one of its objects to provide an attachment which is convenient in use and easily threaded, and does not present an undue obstruction hindering access to operating parts of the machine.

In circular knitting machines and particularly those having more than one knitting station it is common to provide at one or more knitting stations a plurality of yarn feeding fingers which are interchangeable to permit different yarns to be fed to the needles at different times for example for securing colour patterning effects as in mens hosiery. The plurality of feeding fingers which are required to be positioned close to the knitting station together with other associated operating mechanism and yarn trappers may occupy a considerable space close to the needle cylinder and a part of the cam box and in addition to creating congestion which introduces difficulty in obtaining access to the fingers to thread them when required, hampers access to removable parts of the cam box and other par-ts in the neighbourhood of the knitting station. The invention seeks to reduce or eliminate these difficulties.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a feeding attachment comprising a plurality of alternative feeding fingers and operating devices therefor with or without associated trapping and cutting devices, all mounted on a common carrier which has a pivotal mounting such as to permit the carrier together with the parts thereon to be swung bodily between an operative position adjacent to the needle cylinder or cylinders and an inoperative position away therefrom. By so mounting the feeder assembly it can be moved outwardly to a position in which the feeding fingers can be readily threaded when necessary, and in which parts of the machine, such as cam box sections, normally shrouded by the feeder assembly are exposed for ready access.

In a convenient construction the carrier for the feeder assembly is arranged to be mounted on one of the pillars normally extending upwardly from the bed plate of the machine to an upper plate and may be arranged to swing about such pillar or about a post on a plate supported by the pillar on an axis parallel to the axis of the needle cylinder or cylinders. Conveniently the carrier of the feeder assembly is provided with locating means to retain it correctly positioned adjacent to the cylinder in the operative position. Such locating means may be formed as a yieldable positioning and retaining device which snaps into engagement when the carrier is swung inwardly and is self-releasing on exerting sufiicierit outward force on the carrier, or it may be a screw, pin or similar device having a positive retaining action on the carrier and which must be released to permit the carrier to be swung outwardly. A similar locating device may be provided to determine the outer or inoperative setting of the carrier.

The actuation of the feeding fingers may be secured by mechanism positioned at a distance from the knitting station and connected to the respective feeding fingers or parts on the carrier which operate them by means of flexible cables which by their flexibility permit bodily swinging movement of the said. carrier to occur without 2 disconnecting the fingers from their actuating mechanism.

The invention is particularly useful in connection with a hosiery knitting machine having three knitting stations spaced apart around the cylinder axis. In such machines and particularly machines of the opposed needle cylinder type, the multiplicity of mechanisms required to perform and modify from time to time the knitting action at the three stations tends to crowd the space around the cylinder or cylinders, making various parts difiicult of access for adjustment when required. By having at each of one or more of the knitting stations a pivoted feeding attachment in accordance with the invention, threading of the feed fingers and access to parts of the machine for adjustment are greatly facilitated.

A preferred form of feeding attachment in accordance with the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and will now be described with reference to those drawings in which: 7

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view looking partly downwardly of part of the head of a circular knitting machine to which the attachment is applied, 7

FIGURE 2 is a detail view on a slightly larger scale of a portion of the machine shown partly in cross section on line II--II of FIG. 3 and with certain parts broken FIGURE 3 is a planview of the parts shown in FIG. 2, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view in front elevation and partly in cross section showing details of a locating and retaining device.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, the machine to which the attachment is applied comprises a top plate I mounted on pillars, two of which are shown at 2 and 2a, which are fixed in and upstand from a bottom or main bed plate (not shown) as is usual in a machine having vertically opposed top and bottom needle cylinders, these being shown at 3 and 4 in FIG. 1. It will be noted that the machine has a top cam box 5 secured by screws 6 to a plate 7 which forms part of the housing for the top cylinder gear carriage such housing being mounted in the top plate 1.

The bottom cam box 8 is shown secured by screws 9 to a plate 10 which also supports a cam box 11 for control of jacks. This complete assembly is mounted on and supported by the bottom cylinder itself in a manner described in application Serial No. 837,550 and is prevented from revolving with the cylinder by torque arms which are attached to the pillars in convenient positions. Whilst it is to be understood that the feeding attachment which is the subject of this specification may be applied to any machine having a conventional mounting for the bottom cam box (e.g. an intermediate bed plate) it is an important feature of the attachment that it provides greater accessibility to the cam boxes, needles and sliders, and other associated parts of the machine. It is therefore particularly advantageous when this attachment is used on a machine as illustrated which was designed to give maximum accessibility to the cylinders etc.

Two feeding attachments are shown in FIG. 1 and these com-prise similar carriers 13 and 13a which are mounted similarly on pillars 2 and 2a and support their respective feeders. These'carriers may be swung to and fro about the pillars and are supported by fixed collars 14- and 14a. FIGURE 2 shows in cross section the pivotal mounting of carrier 13 directly on pillar 2 and also its supporting collar 14 fixed to the pillar by set screw 51. In FIG. 1 carrier 13a is shown in its out or threading up position and carrier 13 in its in or operating position. It will be appreciated that, as seen from above the machine, carrier 13a is swung in an anticlockwise direction about pillar 2a to operating position and eatrier 13 in an anticlockwise direction about pillar 2 to threading up position.

A block 15 is secured by bolts 15a to the underside of the top plate 1 and forms recesses 16 between it and the top plate. When the carriers 13 and 13a are swung in the operating position their extremities 17 and 17a enter the recesses 16 and are retained there by locating means such as a spring loaded ball catch as shown in detail in FIG. 4, or a similar yieldable anchorage. As illustrated in FIG. 4 the block 15 is formed at each side with a ball pocket 43 in which is a ball 44 retained in the pocket by a constriction of the mouth thereof as indicated at 45 and urged upwardly by a coil spring 46 backed by a set screw 47. The ball 45 projects upwardly from the pocket to engage in a recess 48 in the appropriate carrier 13 or 13a to retain the latter properly located in operative position. Handles 18 and 18a are provided on the carriers 13 and 13a for convenience in manipulating them particularly when moving them out of engagement with the ball catches or similar yieldable anchorages.

The feeding attachments themselves have in each case a main bracket or casting 19 or 1911 which is clamped securely to the carrier plate 13 or 13a, by a bolt 20 or 20a. The hole in the bracket for such bolt may be slotted as indicated at 49 in FIG. 3, to allow the bracket to be adjusted before tightening the bolt 20 or 20a, and adjustable stop screws 21 or 21a may be provided to locate the bracket by engagement with short posts 50 depending from the carrier, see FIG. 3, so that it may be removed and replaced in the same position if and when required.

A spindle 22 or 22a is fixed in the bracket 19 or 190 and has mounted on it levers 23 and 23a. To the bottoms of these levers there are pivotally mounted sets of feeder actuating members 24 and 24a, which in turn are loosely anchored to the ends of related feeders 25 and 25a by screws 26 and 26a. In the example shown provision is made for three feeders and feeder actuating members in each set, although two feeders only are fitted to the right hand attachment. The feeders themselves are located for sliding movement in holes provided in walls 27 and 27a of the brackets 19 and 19a. As seen on the right hand of FIG. 1, each feeder has a block 28 secured to it by a long screw 29 the shank portion of which rides in an appropriate slot in a guide plate 30. There are three such slots 30a, b and c in the plate 30 and the top and bottom ones are formed with camming slopes. Upon actuation of the levers 23 or 23a of the top and bottom feeders these feeders will be moved along their axes causing their screws 29 to follow the cam tracks in the slots 30a and 300 of the guide plate 30, and this will result in the feeder nose being not only moved at right angles to the cylinder axis but also cause it to dip or rise as required to avoid the middle feeder and to apply yarn at the correct level to the needles or the trapper in a manner known and required in knitting practice.

The actuation of the levers 23 and 23a is controlled by Bowden cables 52 the covers of which are shown anchored in a projection 31 of the bracket 19a. The cables are attached to the levers by clips 32. When released by its cable 52 each lever is actuated by one of a set of springs 33 which are hooked on to a rod 34 fixed in the bracket 19 or 19a. Stop screws 35 are provided to limit the extent to which the levers 23 and 23a are moved to operate their feeders, and thus position the feeders in their feeding positions. This is shown on the right of FIG. 1 where the nose 36 of a feeder 25 is shown in feeding position, and its actuating lever 37 is contacting the stop screw 35 at the point 38. It will be noticed that in FIG. 1 the left hand feeding attachment has its actuating levers 23a operated by cables attached mid-way between the spindle fulcrum 22a and the lower extremity of the lever. A different arrange- 4 s ment is used in the right hand attachment, the cables being attached to the levers at their top extremity (not shown) above the fulcrum 22. This in no way alters the operation as the feeders are sprung into feed and pulled by cable to the inoperative or trapper position in both left hand and right hand attachments. The difference in arrangement is simply for convenience in positioning the cables in the neatest manner. There is of course adjustment for altering the length of cable cover with respect to the cable by which the position of the feeder at its appropriate trapper may be adjusted. In the right hand attachment the feeder not in use is indicated at 39 and shown in its inoperative or trapping position adjacent to trapper block 40.

Trapper blocks 40 and 40a associated with the feeders of the right and left hand feeding attachments shown in FIG. 1 are in the example shown mounted in fixed positions on the lower cam box 8. Instead they may if desired be attached by brackets to the lower parts of the brackets 19 and 19a of the pivoted feeding attachments so as to swing in and out with the feeders. The trappers in the trapper blocks are operated by Bowden cables 53.

It may be found convenient to attach a plate 41 (see FIG. 1) carrying pot eyes 42 (for guiding the yarns) to one or to each of the carriers 13 and 13a so as to swing in and out with the feeding attachment.

What I claim is:

1. For a circular knitting machine, a feeding attachment comprising a feeder carrier, a plurality of alternative feeding fingers mounted on said carrier movable into and out of operative settings, means on said carrier for so moving said fingers and pivotal mounting means for said carrier to permit it to be swung bodily between an operative position adjacent to a needle cylinder of the machine and an inoperative position away from such cylinder.

2. In a circular knitting machine, the combination comprising a bed plate, an upper plate, pillars extending between said bed plate and upper plate, means on one of said pillars for supporting a feeder assembly for pivotal movement to swing inwardly and outwardly between said plates, and a feeder assembly supported on said supporting means, said feeder assembly comprising a plurality of alternative feeding fingers and operating devices therefor.

3. A combination according to claim 2 wherein the supporting means for the feeder assembly comprises a carrier pivotally mounted on said pillar to swing about an axis thereon.

4. A combination according to claim 2 comprising locating means to retain the feeder assembly correctly positioned in the operative setting.

5. A combination according to claim 4 having said locating means constituted by a yieldable positioning and retaining device arranged to snap into engagement with the feeder assembly when the latter is swung inwardly and arranged to be self-releasing on exertion of sufiicient thrust on the feeder assembly.

6. A combination according to claim 4 comprising also a locating device to determine the inoperative setting of the feeding attachment.

7. In a circular knitting machine, the combination comprising a bed plate, an upper plate, pillars connecting said bed plate and upper plate, a needle cylinder mounted on at least one of said plates towards the other plate a feeder carrier pivoted on one of said pillars adjacent to said upper plate so as to swing inwardly and outwardly towards and away from the axis of the needle cylinder, a plurality of alternative feeder fingers and actuating devices therefor mounted on said carrier so as to be movable towards and away from the cylinder by the swinging movement of the carrier, and means for yieldably locating the carrier in operative setting with the feeding fingers positioned towards the needle cylinder.

8. In a circular knitting machine, the combination comprising a bed plate, a needle cylinder upstanding from a central portion of said bed plate, a pillar extending from an outer portion of said bed plate, a feeding attachment, supporting means pivotally mounted on said pillar for mounting said feeder attachment to swing about an axis parallel to the cylinder axis, said feeding attachment com- 5 prising a plurality of alternative feeding fingers and actuating members associated with said fingers, and yieldable References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fregeolle May 7, 1946 Deans et al Nov. 3, 1959 

